Greetings folks- It’s my first post here, so please be gentle.
I’m interested in acquiring a Bentley, and I have searched the existing threads here, but left with a number of questions that I can’t seem to find the answers to, so I turn to you for help. I’m aware of the “buy the best example you can afford” adage, and that’s certainly what I intend to do. I’m primarily interested in the aesthetics of some of the Vickers cars—the Mulsanne, Brooklands, Turbo R, and to a lesser extent the Eight – let’s say 82-97 or so. I am not looking to daily drive this car—I have other cars for that. I’m looking for a nice weather vehicle that I’d likely put 1-2 thousand miles a year on.

1. Are there particular aspects of any of those models that would make them less (or more) desirable than other models? I guess I’m thinking primarily of maintenance and reliability issues, but I’m happy to hear any thoughts you’d like to share on other aspects as well.
   
2. Realistically, what sort of annual maintenance budget should I plan for? I own a number of vintage cars, so larger maintenance budgets don’t scare me… but I want to have a sense of what I should expect. I realize that it’s impossible to anticipate every possible failure or breakdown, but I don’t have a sense of if I’d likely be looking at $1000 a year, $10,000 a year, etc.
3. How do you identify qualified service locations? I’m a fairly competent wrench, but there are certainly things that are beyond my capabilities, or that I just don’t want to do. Do current Bentley dealers service the Vickers era cars? If not, the closest dealer is a bit over 3 hours away from me, so I’d welcome input on a qualified independent service shop in my region (I’m about 3 hours north of NYC and 3 hours west of Boston)
4. Talk to me about rear suspensions. I assume these cars share the Rolls Royce leveling system? Realistically, how bad is it to get one of these rebuilt? Should I automatically avoid any car that needs this service? It seems like many of the cars on the market need the rear suspension fixed- is that because it’s fragile or because owners have forgone maintenance?
   
5. Are there other questions that I *should* be asking but have overlooked?

Thanks in advance!

 

Have a look at
http://www.rollsroyceforums.com/inde...=active_topics
This site has a wealth of topics that will assist you on cars of the period you are looking at.

Points to look out for.
1. Head Gaskets. Proper servicing and regular coolant changes vital
2. There is a current post on the site above with several pages on costs
3. Bentley Dealers claim to know how to handle but I have some doubts.In the UK there are several highly experienced and competent "Indies" who can handle most things.
4. Never had any problems with rear suspension so cannot comment
5. Check its had its hydraulic service. This can cost £3 to £4k in the UK, Rust in sills

The other good forum is Piston Heads.
Happy hunting!

 

Thank you for the tips!
I may not be quite familiar enough with the lexicon-- with regards to the rear suspension, I'm not talking about the springs, I'm talking about the self-leveling hydraulic system... essentially, I'm bundling your #4 and #5 together, which perhaps I shouldn't be doing.

Cheers!

 

The "Hydraulic Service" is the biggest one and includes all sorts of other things as well and is at 60,000 miles or 6 Years. Checking the Service book should show what is required and whether its been done.